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The idea of the project originated from a reflection about the fact that in the visually overcrowed spaces of the modern cities, signs go often u… Read More

The idea of the project originated from a reflection about the fact that in the visually overcrowed spaces of the modern cities, signs go often unnoticed or are simply ignored by citizens. At the same time we are not aware of the people who design and make those signs, which are still largely handcrafted by artisans that pass down their knowledge from one generation to another.
For this reason it is very difficult – if not almost impossible – to find any written account about the practical and theorical art of making signs, neither accounts about the history of existing signs, except for a few cases.
The purpose of the research was to explore the world of sign making in Italy and the people involved in it, starting from five cities familiar to the authors of the book (Genova, Faenza, Vicenza, Palermo, Torino and Bologna) and proceeding to develop a critical reflection about craftmanship, the history of sign making, the future of the field and the possible relations to the modern practice of visual design. The aim is also to invite designers to start taking more in consideration signs and urban typography – even the most modest examples – as a valid resource of visual inspiration and critical advices for the design process.
As a conclusion of the entire process, the team also developed a brand new font, named “Insigne”, based on the interpretation of various letters from the signs documented during the research: each character of the font is made merging two glyphs from two different cities.
Various examples of letters traced from signs of all the five cities are presented in red color through the pages of the book. Read Less

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The idea of the project originated from a reflection about the fact that in the visually overcrowed spaces of the modern cities, signs go often unnoticed or are simply ignored by citizens. At the same time we are not aware of the people who design and make those signs, which are still largely handcrafted by artisans that pass down their knowledge from one generation to another.
For this reason it is very difficult – if not almost impossible – to find any written account about the practical and theorical art of making signs, neither accounts about the history of existing signs, except for a few cases.
The purpose of the research was to explore the world of sign making in Italy and the people involved in it, starting from five cities familiar to the authors of the book (Genova, Faenza, Vicenza, Palermo, Torino and Bologna) and proceeding to develop a critical reflection about craftmanship, the history of sign making, the future of the field and the possible relations to the modern practice of visual design. The aim is also to invite designers to start taking more in consideration signs and urban typography – even the most modest examples – as a valid resource of visual inspiration and critical advices for the design process.
As a conclusion of the entire process, the team also developed a brand new font, named “Insigne”, based on the interpretation of various letters from the signs documented during the research: each character of the font is made merging two glyphs from two different cities.
Various examples of letters traced from signs of all the five cities are presented in red color through the pages of the book.